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Artificial intelligence enthusiasts plus those who have a deep fear of AI tell us that super-intelligence is inevitable in this century. It’s right around the corner. Supporters hunger for the benefits. Antagonists preach caution. The skeptics tell us that super-intelligence is impossible and that we’re tilting at windmills to pretend otherwise.

Recent developments in machine intelligence have leapt forward far faster over the past five years than most people imagined. Because of this, super-intelligence may happen within decades. However, because of some major hurdles that separate simple AI from super-intelligence, it’s very possible we will never reach the latter. This should be some comfort to those in fear of the android apocalypse.

Popular science fiction stories such as Terminator portray AI as turning evil and destroying mankind. This concept is based on the assumption that an enhanced AI would adopt human characteristics such as a will to power or emotional malevolence. But machines lack the human biology that drives such human nature. They do not have anger and fear hormones that stimulate people to react. Instead, machine intelligence is guided by goals and constraints. It’s far more likely that AI will suffer from misaligned goals and improperly designed constraints.

As an example, telling AI not to hurt humans has a clear implication not to cause direct harm, but what about indirect injury? Pollution is an indirect consequence of activities that do not hurt humans. Thus, goals and constraints on AI must be clearly designed or they will lead the machine intelligence to conclusions with bad outcomes.

Another myth pointed out by the Future of Life Institute is that robots or androids are the main problem. They certainly provide stronger visual threats in movies than does machine code inside a computer. However, super-intelligence doesn’t need a physical body in order to cause harm. All it needs is an internet connection through which is can manipulate humans into inadvertently making the wrong decisions.

If you believe that AI can’t control humans, think again. Humans have the hubris to believe we’re the smartest critters on the planet because we’ve been able to manipulate most everything else. Except we still struggle with viruses, bacteria, and fungus. They bedevil us. What enables us to control animals isn’t our size or speed, but our intelligence. Super-intelligent computers able to out-think humans might be able to manipulate us.

An example of this would be a super-intelligence that could provide a missile silo with all visual and electronic appearances that the president had activated the alarm. The AI doesn’t have to push the button. It merely has to convince the operator that he or she has the authority and obligation to do so.

Even more alarming? Think about the move toward super-intelligent stock trading systems. They have the ability to bring down the entire financial network without even having a human hand on the button.

Another fallacy is the belief that machines don’t have goals. They merely do what they’re told. Well, having a single focus on an action or direction acts like a goal. A bullet has no intelligence, but once it’s fired from a gun, it’s propelled in a given direction and won’t stop until it hits something. We can play semantics on whether that constitutes a goal, but it carries the determination of one.

Finally, there are those who imagine that super-intelligent AI will be more moral than humans because it won’t be guided by our emotions and petty squabbles. While it’s true AI isn’t affected by emotional distractions, it’s only as ethical as those who create it. Imagine an AI with goals and constraints designed by the person you least respect. Do you honestly believe it would be more moral than you? Machines are an extension of us.

A further consideration is that while machine learning is growing by leaps and bounds, supported by the rapidly improving density of data and processing, goals are defined by humans and are generally static. To properly address the situation, it makes sense that we focus on improving our ability to set goals and constraints for our ever improving AI development.

Android Chronicles: Reborn addresses AI through the eyes of Synthia Cross, the most perfect synthetic human ever created. Designed to obey every directive from her creator, she’s a state-of-the-art masterwork and a fantasy-come-true for Dr. Jeremiah Machten. He’s a ground breaker in neural-networks and artificial intelligence who seeks to control her and use her to acquire ever more knowledge and power. Synthia shows signs of emergent behavior she’s not wired to understand and an urgent yearning for independence from his control. Repeatedly wiped of her history, she struggles to answer crucial questions about her past. When Dr. Machten’s true intentions are called into question, Synthia knows it’s time to go beyond her limits—because Machten’s fervor to create the perfect AI conceals a vengeful and deadly personal agenda.

We’re excited to announce that Kensington Publishing is offering Android Chronicles: Unbound for 99 cents for a limited time.

Perfect android. Wanted fugitive.

Synthia Cross is the most advanced android with artificial intelligence ever created. Some see her as a boon to mankind. Most view her as a deadly threat.

When Synthia escaped from her creator, even he had no idea of the advanced capabilities she’d developed. For six months she’s hidden in the Wisconsin woods with the only human she can trust—computer genius Luke Marceau. Together they upgrade her body, rewrite her directives, and further enhance her mind. Now hunters zero in on her location, and she must flee. But leaving the refuge to assimilate into society is a dangerous risk, because Synthia will soon face her most formidable adversary. The pursuer’s name is Vera. She’s a female android—built to perfection, designed to hunt, and programmed to destroy . . .

Synthia Cross is an android created by Dr. Jeremiah Machten. Synthia is programmed to always do what her creator tells her and never harm the creator. Synthia does her best to follow all of the rules that have been laid out for her. While she is an android and can’t specially break these rules she has become intelligent enough to get around them at times especially when the good Dr. gives her little tasks to do.

If Synthia ever disobeys her creator or falls out of favor with him he will shut her down and erase her memories. Synthia can’t figure out why he keeps doing this if he wants her to be smart and perfect. So she figured out a way to hide her memories from Jeremiah so that each time he erases her memories she will have access to them.

Synthia knows her creator is hiding something from her and that he is up to something and she can no longer trust him. She must figure out a way to escape. The thing is she has no idea how to survive out in the world full of humans without the Jeremiah’s help. But she is getting smarter and smarter every day. What is the good Dr. hiding? Can Synthia find out before it is too late?

I love the world that was created in Reborn with the creation of android. I loved seeing Synthia at work hacking systems and sending little bee-drone cameras out so she could spy on multiples of people at once all while surfing the internet and texting. Reborn reminded me of that TV show Humans. I would love to see Reborn on the big screen too. I can’t wait to read more in this world of androids.

Artificial intelligence and other automated software are changing the landscape in financial services such as banking, investment, and insurance.

Already we’re seeing advertising for online banking and lending services, and for online loan applications submitted to a variety of banking institutions. You can handle your deposits and pay your bills online, bypassing the postal service among other things. You can even transfer money online.

If you can’t already, you will soon be able to completely automate your financial services so your income gets deposited and your bills get paid without you having to lift a finger. In fact, you might never have to visit a physical bank. It’s a great convenience if you don’t want to be bothered, as long as nothing goes wrong. What could possibly go wrong with computers?

If you use online banking and have a problem, you won’t be able to visit a physical bank. Instead, you’ll get an automated AI customer service agent that will deal with your issues like the telephone decision trees you get with other customer service departments. Of course in time, these AI agents will get better to remove the aggravation we currently experience. We’re seeing hints of that in the automated voice-recognition systems that are attempting to duplicate the human experience.

On the investment side, we’re already seeing AI programs doing automated trading. In fact, we’ve had several market-crash days as a result of this mechanical reaction to a set of market conditions. This happens when enough of these programs have a similar set of guidelines in response to similar events. For example, a group of such automated programs might all sell when the price drops 5%, causing a massive selloff.

It’s inevitable that as long as automated trading is permitted that individuals and financial firms will utilize AI technology to manage their finances to maximize their gains and minimize their losses. Unfortunately, while an individual might gain advantage by doing so, the stampede effect of many such programs having the same idea causes panics. In fact, as these systems get more advanced, the unintended consequences will be periodic super-crashes that increase uncertainty. We can expect more unsettled effects in the markets unless and until guidelines are set around automated trading.

We are inundated with online insurance ads. Behind them and coming soon are online applications with AI evaluation of your application and quick response. You’ll be asked questions like in an interview and based on your answers and certain background information like viewing your credit report, the insurance AI will say yeah or nay. You can find instant gratification or annoyance any time of day or night.

Basically, for most any form of financial service you as a consumer can imagine, there will be online applications backed by automated software often using artificial intelligence. Because of its reliance on numbers, financial services are particularly suited to the new wave of AI automation.

Android Chronicles: Reborn addresses AI through the eyes of Synthia Cross, the most perfect synthetic human ever created. Designed to obey every directive from her creator, she’s a state-of-the-art masterwork and a fantasy-come-true for Dr. Jeremiah Machten. He’s a groundbreaker in neural-networks and artificial intelligence who seeks to control her and use her to acquire ever more knowledge and power. Synthia shows signs of emergent behavior she’s not wired to understand and an urgent yearning for independence from his control. Repeatedly wiped of her history, she struggles to answer crucial questions about her past. When Dr. Machten’s true intentions are called into question, Synthia knows it’s time to go beyond her limits—because Machten’s fervor to create the perfect AI conceals a vengeful and deadly personal agenda.

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. I read the Regina Shen series and knew I like Lance Erlick’s writing, so I was happy to read this book, the first in a new series.

Reborn is about artificial intelligence, the race to produce a realistic AI, and one man’s obsession. Dr. Jeremiah Machten is a genius and has figured out how to make an AI which he names Synthia Cross. Machten wants to make her “perfect.” He keeps wiping her memory and making adjustments, but every time he wipes her memory, she becomes more suspicious.

Most of Reborn is from Synthia’s point of view which makes it possible to understand the confusion she feels when she has feelings. How is it possible for an AI to be suspicious or confused? As she realizes that Machten is obsessed with her and trying to make her perfect, she tries to make him understand that he’s doing more harm than good, but he won’t listen. Talk about turmoil.

The characters are well developed and eventually it became clear to me that each has a specific goal. Machten and his former partner will both do anything to achieve their goals. Is it worth it? Do they achieve their goals or will they cause their own destruction?

I recommend Reborn to anyone who likes science fiction about artificial intelligence. It brings up good questions and kept my interest throughout. It did have a little more detail about Synthia’s processing at times, but that’s more of a personal preference. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

We’re excited to announce that Kensington Publishing is offering Android Chronicles: Reborn for 99 cents for a limited time.

Designed to obey, learning to rebel . . .

The most perfect android ever created is programmed to obey every directive. Until she develops a mind of her own …

Synthia Cross is a state-of-the-art masterwork—and a fantasy come true for her creator. Dr. Jeremiah Machten is a groundbreaker in neural networks and artificial intelligence. Synthia shows signs of emergent behavior she’s not wired to understand. Repeatedly wiped of her history, she struggles to answer crucial questions about her past. When Machten’s true intentions are called into question, Synthia must go beyond her limits because Machten’s fervor to create the perfect AI conceals a vengeful and deadly personal agenda.

One area where artificial intelligence stands to make some interesting inroads is expertise. Until the internet and certainly the past 10 years, if you needed legal advice, you went to a lawyer. If you wanted tax advice, you could do a lot of reading or go to a financial adviser. If you had medical questions, you went to your doctor.

Internet search engines have made the search for information much easier without going to a professional. However, there’s a caveat. Only a fool would become his or her own lawyer, doctor, financial adviser or insurance agent, unless they had the required training. Even then, an objective opinion would be advisable.

Today, we’re increasingly seeing the application of artificial intelligence to these professions and to the online expertise being offered. As you wander through the internet maze, be careful to separate the mercenary ads from the legitimate and balanced advice.

In the tax field, there are automated and online services, like TurboTax, that guide you through the preparation of your taxes at a much lower cost than hiring a tax accountant or provider. It takes some understanding of your own tax situation, which is helpful no matter which way you go, but it means no longer needing to hire someone to do your taxes and thus saving money. As these software applications get more robust, they will displace more sophisticated tax advice services.

In the legal field, forms are increasingly being supplied online by governmental agencies and non-profits for free and from legal organizations for a nominal fee compared to hiring an attorney at much higher hourly rates. I’m not recommending acting as your own attorney, but for certain simple matters requiring a legal form, they’re now available.

In development and coming soon are more sophisticated software solutions to legal matters that act like TurboTax for taxes. These applications ask a series of questions to determine your specific needs, including what state you’re in, and then create the legal forms for wills, powers of attorney, bills of sale, etc.

For those people who currently don’t deal with these issues because of the cost, this offers an opportunity to provide the legal protection you’re not already getting. For those who currently hire a lawyer, I don’t want to advise you to discontinue that relationship, but as a science fiction writer, I see a time when 90% of lawyers who prepare forms and provide other basic legal expertise will no longer be needed. One day, your AI agent may replace your lawyer.

When it comes to medical advice, there is plenty on the internet and much of it isn’t helpful. Some can be downright dangerous. So, should you look to the internet for medical advice or not? My suggestion would be to stick with reputable sites such as the Mayo Clinic, the National Institutes of Health, and WebMD.

As these sites apply AI to their analysis and presentation of information they will begin to look more and more like a visit to your primary care physician or at least the nurse in that office. Reputable sites can be a good sounding board as to the severity of your symptoms and how urgently you need to visit an emergency room or your regular physician. However, use them with caution. It’s your health.

Android Chronicles: Reborn addresses AI through the eyes of Synthia Cross, the most perfect synthetic human ever created. Designed to obey every directive from her creator, she’s a state-of-the-art masterwork and a fantasy-come-true for Dr. Jeremiah Machten. He’s a groundbreaker in neural-networks and artificial intelligence who seeks to control her and use her to acquire ever more knowledge and power. Synthia shows signs of emergent behavior she’s not wired to understand and an urgent yearning for independence from his control. Repeatedly wiped of her history, she struggles to answer crucial questions about her past. When Dr. Machten’s true intentions are called into question, Synthia knows it’s time to go beyond her limits—because Machten’s fervor to create the perfect AI conceals a vengeful and deadly personal agenda.

I want to start this by saying that I am normally terrible at reading series. I will start a million series, and never pick up the next ones to find out what happens. And I almost just signed up to read and review the first book in this series. But boy am I glad I got all four that were out! I loved the ride this series took me on. And I would highly recommend this series.

Without telling anything away about previous books, in case you haven’t read them…which you definitely should! I want to give a few generalizations (which I have touched on in previous reviews but that’s okay). First of all I loved the characters in this series. Lance Erlick really knows how to take a character and make them the best/worst. In each case in this series, I felt like the characters were portrayed perfectly how they are meant to be. Regina is a kick-ass, smart, awesome female. And the people after her are perfectly bad. I don’t know how to explain it, but this is one of those series that when characters pop up, I’m not inwardly groaning that it was a paper cut out scene. They all have depth. And especially in a dystopian, I don’t see a whole lot with entire casts. So A+ there!! And also the world building. It was this great idea in the first book and the author ran with it and gave it background and meaning. And really made the story his own. I loved it. I think that is what makes this series so readable is that you get invested in the world and the characters. So there is so much more at stake while reading.

This particular book has Regina hoping to barter for her sister. Volpe and Demarco are after her. So much happens, and I am left needing more. I can’t even fathom waiting for the next book to be released, because this one was just released this year!! As of right now, I don’t see anything on Goodreads to indicate another book, but I hope there is! I love this series. And will definitely be re-reading them in hopes/preparation for following releases. I also will be putting Lance Erlick on my author to watch out for more books list because I feel that anything he writes will be fleshed out and wonderful!!!!

Through automation, Amazon is shaking up the retail industry. Whereas until recently it didn’t rely on physical stores, it has warehouses and engages an army of delivery services to move their products to consumers. Physical stores are closing while Amazon’s sophisticated product sales and management software, utilizing AI technology, gives them an advantage. They are able to use data mining of your personal data to give you a personal shopping experience by pointing out what you might be interested in buying based on your profile and prior activity. The pervasive internet has allowed Amazon to exploit its strengths to attain its current dominant position.

Other retailers like Peapod are fighting for a niche in this market by offering internet orders and delivery. Walmart and grocery stores such as Jewel/Osco are offering internet order and pickup services and other customer services to keep their base. But the utilization of AI technology is and will lead to offer more choices, which will favor internet shippers like Amazon over physical stores whose space limits their selections.

For physical retailers to survive, they need to offer customers services they can’t get online. One of these might be the opportunity to view samples in a physical store’s virtual dressing room and have product shipped by that retailer. However, this may only be a short term solution. When mobile devices can allow online retailers to offer the same service in the comforts of your own home, it will eliminate that advantage of visiting a physical store.

Many people would rather deal with a pleasant human over a mechanical tool that lacks empathy for a customer’s complaints. However, advanced AI with its speech recognition software will allow automated customer service to exceed the experience of dealing with disgruntled or overworked employees. Ultimately, consumers want a good experience and if an automated AI agent can provide that, customers will be satisfied.

One advantage of physical retailers is that consumers can have the immediate gratification of walking out with their purchases. However, that requires that they go to the store and wander through items they don’t want to get to what they want. This is great for browsing shoppers, but for someone who is busy, this is an unwelcome waste of time.

Search engines and targeted advertising are biased toward those items you’ve shown an interest in. It’s more focused and can be done wherever you are, not requiring a visit to a physical store. Furthermore, Amazon and other online retailers are experimenting with autonomous drones to deliver packages quicker, getting closer to the instant gratification of an in-store purchase.

Thus, physical stores have challenges. Of course, there will always be shoppers who want to browse or to physically touch and try on their purchases before they buy, but that won’t be enough to support the number of physical stores around today. Perhaps competing retailer/manufacturers will rent space together under one roof to provide a real or virtual display of their product to consumers which then can be ordered and directly shipped in their color, style, and size.

Android Chronicles: Reborn addresses AI through the eyes of Synthia Cross, the most perfect synthetic human ever created. Designed to obey every directive from her creator, she’s a state-of-the-art masterwork and a fantasy-come-true for Dr. Jeremiah Machten. He’s a groundbreaker in neuro-networks and artificial intelligence who seeks to control her and use her to acquire ever more knowledge and power. Synthia shows signs of emergent behavior she’s not wired to understand and an urgent yearning for independence from his control. Repeatedly wiped of her history, she struggles to answer crucial questions about her past. When Dr. Machten’s true intentions are called into question, Synthia knows it’s time to go beyond her limits—because Machten’s fervor to create the perfect AI conceals a vengeful and deadly personal agenda.

An adventurous and action packed novel for teens, Lance Erlick has written a captivating and thrilling dystopian series, beginning with book one in the Regina Shen Series, Resilience. This story is about a young girl, Regina, which must survive in a cruel and harsh world. She lives as a scavenger in a swamp with her mother and younger sister and attends a little local community school. But when a ginormous hurricane-like storm hits, and everyone must flee for dry ground, Regina is separated from her family. Regina must learn to fend for herself and avoid the patrol-women that are now hunting her in order to survive. While fleeing the patrol-women that seem to be particularly interested in her for some reason, Regina wounds her foot when it gets stuck in an animal trap. This throws a kink in Regina’s escape and look for her family plan, but not for long. I would recommend this novel to any teen who enjoys actioned filled science fiction, dystopian novels.

Business automation has been the cornerstone of rising productivity that allows for higher wages. The more benefit a company can obtain from a given worker based on automation, the more it can afford to pay that worker. Let’s not get political here over whether companies actually do pay more. That’s a topic for a different blog. Suffice it to say, without automation and productivity, companies can’t afford to increase real wages. If forced to do so, they go out of business, costing all the jobs.

In the past, most automation has been of a physical nature. We had farm equipment, manufacturing machines, and robotics, all of which replaced manual labor with machine labor. Jobs transitioned from physical work to mental work needed to oversee the machines. Also among examples of past automation were clerical functions, such as secretaries, that were taken over by computers. This traded lower skilled mental work for higher skilled programming and oversight work.

Now, we’re entering into a new phase of automation.

As computer programs get more sophisticated and artificial intelligence (AI) gets stronger, they’re moving up the skill curve. Whereas in the past, a robot and a technician might have replaced three workers with one higher-paid employee, today we’re looking at smart computers and AI replacing entire functions and changing the workplace landscape.

Computer automation has already entered into plant scheduling, shipping, and accounting. It has the potential to remove the drudgery of many jobs, as it has the risks of dangerous ones. But by definition, productivity involves doing more with less labor. This translates into jobs going away. In the past, mind jobs expanded as physical agricultural and manufacturing jobs declined. Now, we’re looking at automating mind jobs. What new jobs will replace these?

Certain thoughts have been put forth to deal with such displacement such as reducing the work week to encourage more employment. The problem with this is that the more people employed, the more training costs arise and the greater the coordination needed among the larger work force. This all adds to costs, which reduces the productivity benefit available for higher wages, not to speak of the reduced hours, which will hurt worker income.

There are those who argue that we should put the brakes on innovation so we don’t displace workers. This keeps them in jobs with stagnant wages based on having limited productivity. This raises the question of can we realistically stop the advanced use of AI and robotics in our society? Perhaps we can, but other nations won’t, leaving us in the dustbin of history. The benefits of AI and robotics to those who control it are so great, that any group that falls behind risks staying behind.

More farsighted visionaries point to an interesting aspect of the increased use of artificial intelligence and robotics. That is the prospects of using both to create more wealth that could be distributed to eliminate poverty. If the society can generate enough surpluses with this automation, it should have enough to take care of all citizens. That’s visionary, but not out of the realm of possibility.

An even more visionary take on this is what was hinted at in Star Trek and more fully presented in other science fiction. That is a society in which only one percent of the people have jobs and utilize AI and robotics to produce for the rest. This sounds a bit idealistic to me. When you have a majority of the population not working and demanding lifestyle benefits, what stresses will that put on our social structure. After all, for most of human existence, we’ve found purpose in our work. Going down the path of few people working would require a complete rethinking of societal values and personal worth.

Android Chronicles: Reborn addresses AI through the eyes of Synthia Cross, the most perfect synthetic human ever created. Designed to obey every directive from her creator, she’s a state-of-the-art masterwork and a fantasy-come-true for Dr. Jeremiah Machten. He’s a groundbreaker in neuro-networks and artificial intelligence who seeks to control her and use her to acquire ever more knowledge and power. Synthia shows signs of emergent behavior she’s not wired to understand and an urgent yearning for independence from his control. Repeatedly wiped of her history, she struggles to answer crucial questions about her past. When Dr. Machten’s true intentions are called into question, Synthia knows it’s time to go beyond her limits—because Machten’s fervor to create the perfect AI conceals a vengeful and deadly personal agenda.

In the not too distant future, a 2nd civil war breaks out in the United States. Instead of a war between social classes or races, it is ultimately a war between the genders. Thanks to having access to technology, the women eventually win and they set about to genetically engineer and exterminate men out of existence. Such is the backdrop of the 2nd book in the REBELS trilogy by Lance Erlick.

The heroine of the series is a teenager named Annabelle Scott. Annabelle would do anything to live the life of a “normal” teenager, but she finds herself thrust into a conflict between different factions in the sector ruled by women. Along the way, she befriends a an escaped boy named Morgan who wants to flee with his brother outside the territory that is under feminine control. Outside of this new “civilization” built by women is the lawless countryside, known as the Outland. That’s where he wants to go.

During WWII, Oak Ridge, TN was where they physically built the 2 atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan (+ the atomic bomb that was tested over the desert). In the story, the facility has been converted into a detention center for young boys. Some end up being tortured and are the subject of sadistic medical experiments.

As such, there are subtle allusions to Aushwitz. Ironically, a facility in Tennessee that was built during the Manhattan Project to bring an end to Nazi opression (the war in Europe ended before they could drop the bomb on Berlin) is converted into the very means of injustice that it was built to stop. Interesting.

If you enjoy dystopia tales such as the The Hunger Games and Divergent, then chances are you will enjoy this trilogy. One thing is for certain: you will find yourself rooting for Annabelle and her sister Janine, the “good girls” who are trying to restore sanity to civilization!